On May 11, the 40th day after the Day of Resurrection, the Ascension Day service was graciously held outdoors in the fresh air and the lovely spring sunshine.

ⓒ 2010 WATV

Ascension Day is a day to commemorate Jesus’ ascension into heaven from Mount Olives 40 days after He rose from the dead; He preached the truth of life to His disciples for 40 days after His resurrection. This originated from the following event: On the 40th day after the Israelites crossed the Red Sea after the Exodus, they camped in front of Mount Sinai, and Moses went up to God (Ex 19:1-3; Ac 1:3-9).

Mother gave thanks to Father for allowing His children to keep the holy feast outdoors so that they could cherish hope for heaven by looking at the beautiful scenery of nature. She also prayed that Her children would be completely changed into heavenly children with mature faith and would preach the gospel to all nations, engraving in their hearts the world mission Christ had entrusted to them.

General Pastor Joo-Cheol Kim explained the history and meaning of Ascension Day, which provided the foundation for world evangelism, and hoped that the members would discover the divine nature of God the Father and God the Mother through the things God had created. Then he urged, “Let us recall the last command Jesus gave His disciples before He ascended to heaven, ‘You will be my witnesses in Samaria and to the ends of the earth.’ Keeping in mind that it is our mission as ‘witnesses’ to correct falsehoods and reveal the truth, let us become Elohim’s witnesses to testify about Heavenly Father and Mother, the Saviors in the age of the Holy Spirit, in Samaria and to the ends of the earth” (Ro 1:18-20; Lk 24:46-53; Ac 1:6-9).

ⓒ 2010 WATV

After the service, Mother reminded Her children of the glorious heavenly kingdom through beautiful nature emitting a fresh vital force in the season of new green leaves, and asked them to deliver the good news of the kingdom where joy and life last forever, to many souls.

After celebrating Ascension Day joyfully while promoting unity in the beautiful outdoors, the members participated in the Prayer Week of the Pentecost which started from that day; by participating in worship services for ten days, they earnestly asked for the latter rain of the Holy Spirit.